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i-Path Launches TMA Toolbox for Online Biomarker Discovery

Written by i-Path

Thursday, 29 July 2010 07:31

i-Path today announces the launch of its newest product, the TMA Toolbox. TMA Toolbox boosts i-Path’s existing portfolio of digital pathology software services to the research market which includes the bespoke development of image analysis algorithms and digital archiving of biomarker tissue samples.

Breaking new ground in the pathology research market, i-Path’s TMA Toolbox is the only Software as a Service (SaaS) tissue microarray solution. The toolbox, an online application allowing web-based management and scoring of tissue microarrays, makes TMA experiments quick to set up and run, convenient to access, easily scalable and secure. TMA Toolbox is currently being used for projects to identify predictive biomarkers for non-small cell carcinoma of the lung and melanomas.

Project Lead at i-Path Dr Fiona Browne explains

“Listening to TMA researchers, the same frustrations and challenges are frequently raised for example scoring TMAs is mundane work, it is so easy to lose one’s place on the slide, sharing slides means posting slides which is time consuming and costly, the slides are prone to break, the administrator has to receive and sift through a number of paper based reports to collate the scores. The TMA Toolbox removes these difficulties which means the researcher can work more quickly and easily. The researcher does not even have to be in the lab, they can simply log onto the internet and start work on the TMA experiment. Working online they can collaborate with other researchers across the globe by sharing TMA slides and whole slides."

i-Path’s Chief Scientist Professor Peter Hamilton says,

“i-Path involved the company’s network of TMA researchers throughout the design of the software to ensure the application replicates the steps routinely followed by the researcher. As a result, using the TMA Toolbox is intuitive and easy to use.”

Developed within PathXL, i-Path’s web-based Content Management System for viewing and storing Virtual Slides, the TMA Toolbox shares PathXL’s core features:

Fully managed service with dedicated customer support
Low cost options for project based research studies
Secure archiving of whole slides and TMAs
Speedy upload of digital slides to i-Path’s storage solution
Fast serving and viewing of digital slide images
User-friendly interface
Slide scanning services for customers without a scanner
Storage of metadata

Angela Wilson, Sales Manager at i-Path comments

“i-Path offers flexible licensing agreements for the TMA Toolbox, which can be purchased on a per project basis. The licensing model suits the fast paced, high throughput research labs who require, specialist, flexible, scalable lab systems.”

i-Path CEO Stuart Harvey adds

“The launch of the TMA Toolbox shows i-Path’s commitment to pathologists in the Research Lab. While i-Path is renowned for providing digital pathology services to the pathology education market, we are keen to expand our product offering in the pathology research market, adding to our already successful development of image analysis algorithms and digital archiving of biomarker tissue samples."

For further information contact:

Stuart Harvey, CEO at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Angela Wilson, Sales Manager at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

About i-Path

i-Path specializes in creating virtual microscopy software for use in education, research, clinical trials, consultation networks, MDT meetings and EQAs. Created by pathologists for pathologists, i-Path offers a range of solutions from slide scanning services to a fully managed hosted solution.

www.i-path.co.uk

i-Path Vision Seals Spirit of Enterprise Award

Written by i-Path

Monday, 19 April 2010 09:45

i-Path has been named as the latest winner in the Spirit of Enterprise Awards. The judging panel cited i-Path as “an excellent example of technology transfer, innovation and impressive growth in an emerging marketplace”.

The Spirit of Enterprise Awards series was established by Chartered Accountants Ulster Society in partnership with Northern Bank and Business Eye to reward indigenous companies that demonstrate real entrepreneurial spirit, as well as innovation and the creativity to succeed.

i-Path will go forward for consideration for the overall award when all ten monthly winners have been named.

Stuart Harvey, CEO at i-Path says: “The strength of i-Path is undoubtedly the high academic reputation and knowledge behind the product combined with a team that provides the right software development skills.

“To Peter and James’ credit (Professor Peter Hamilton and James Diamond, i-Path’s co-founders), they realised the potential of their idea and were willing to take a calculated risk. They were not too proprietary of their idea and recognised that to best realise the commercial opportunity they would need to build a strong team with other skills around them.”

Venture Capital funding in October 2008 allowed i-Path to grow their staff from 3 to 12, including a business development and sales team which would allow a more international outlook.

Stuart says: “The Venture Capital funding meant that we could build a strong team and really prioritise speed to market. It’s a very rapidly evolving area so getting our Path XL product out there and securing some early wins has been incredibly important. We believe that the investment, along with the additional support from our investors, has put us on course to make the most of the worldwide opportunities that are out there.”

Peter Hamilton says: “We have a lot of good ideas in Northern Ireland, but often we don’t recognise the potential they hold. As a company with the right investment and support we’ve been able to commercialise our idea with the collaboration of local health services and local pathologists to build a strong product which also supports local education and research and ultimately a better health service to the public.

“What we have found is that you shouldn’t be afraid to take the opportunity. There is support infrastructure around to help you build a company from scratch with the right idea.”

The future is looking bright for i-Path. The company is currently planning to create new products for customers in the research field, and their leading edge technology is spreading to new markets just as the realisation of the potential of the technology is beginning to register worldwide.

Commending the company on their win, Richard Gardiner, Vice-Chairman of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society says: “i-Path is a company showing great growth and vision and is very worthy winner of the Spirit of Enterprise Award. The company is a fantastic example of the potential of the research and ideas within out local universities and what can be achieved through the commercialisation of those ideas.

Robbie Milliken, Business Manager with Northern Bank, sponsors of the Award, said: “i-Path has built a number of innovative software products as a result of research at Queen’s University and has developed into a global player in an exciting and fast-growing field. The strides taken by the company are truly impressive. It is vital, especially in the current climate, to highlight and reward our best businesses and we feel that i-Path is a great local success story.”

For more information, please visit our website at www.i-path.co.uk

i-Path - Regional Winners in Prince's Trust Million Makers Challenge

Written by i-Path

Monday, 19 April 2010 09:28

i-Path Diagnostics was recently crowned the winner of The Prince’s Trust ‘Million Makers’ challenge – the competition which tasks participating companies with raising as much money as possible for the charity over a period of six months.

The teams were each provided with a seed-funding of £1,500 and encouraged to invest this in a fund-raising project that would pull in the pounds for The Trust, meanwhile benefiting from free employee development training throughout the course of the challenge.

i-Path used their seed-funding to roll-out the ‘Schools Pathology Challenge’, which was targeted at AS and A-level biology students to raise awareness of pathology and the role it can play in diagnosing diseases and keeping people alive.

More than 75 secondary and grammar school teams signed up from across the province and used i-Path’s innovative pathology software to compete against each other interactively, before taking part in a final at Queen’s University, Belfast.

Commenting on their Million Makers success, i-Path CEO Stuart Harvey said: “We are thrilled to have won the Million Makers challenge - the award is an excellent tribute to the hard work of all the staff at i-Path.

“Taking part in the challenge not only helped us to reach out to young people and get them enthusiastic about life sciences and technology, but enabled the staff here to develop their team work, communication and presentation skills.

“We hope to make the Schools Pathology Challenge an annual event and there is already a healthy interest in next year’s competition from a large number of schools in Northern Ireland, Dublin and London.”

Ian Jeffers, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Trust in Northern Ireland, said: “I would like to congratulate i-Path Diagnostics for their innovation, enthusiasm and hard work that led them to win the competition.

“Million Makers is an excellent example of how companies can access free employee development and training while fulfilling their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) requirements in a mutually beneficial way.

“The money raised collectively by the teams in this year’s challenge will be channelled into helping around 3000 young people aged 14-30 here in Northern Ireland to develop the key skills which will enable them to move into employment, education or training.”

For more information, please visit our website at www.i-path.co.uk

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